Explosive projectile.



INVENTE! PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907.

K VOLLER EXPLOSIVB PROJEGTILE. AQPLIOATION FILED NOV. 15, 1906.

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GERMAXY, ASSIGNOR TO RIIEIXISCHE METALLWAREN- OF DUS SELDORF, GERMANY.

EXPLQSIVE PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

Application filed November 15, 1906. Serial No. 343.526.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that f, KAmLVoLLnR, engineer, a subject of th German Emperor,residing at Dusseldorf, I7 .ltilicherstrasse, Germany, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Explosive Projectiles: and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

' This invention relates to explosive projectiles having two burstingcharges, and it has for its object to improve the action of suchprojectiles when under time fuse fire. For this purpose the grenadecharge, in addition to being acted upon by a percussion fuse, is alsooperated by the time fuse, in a similar manner to the shrapnel charge,but the time fuse communicates with the grenade charge througharetarding device such, that the latter, after the expulsion of thesharpnel charge, will continue its flight for some distance so as onlyto be exploded in immediate proximity to the mark.

On the accompanying drawing is shown a projectile constructed accordingto this invention in which Figure 1 shows a vertical section and Fig. 2an eleva tion. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the action of the projectile.

The casing a of the projectile contains, as usual, the ball chargewhich, after the explosion of the powder in the chamber b is propelledforward by the expelling disk c. In front of the ball charge,immediately behind the double fuse, is arranged the bursting charge d,which, as distinguished from previous construct-ions, entirely fills thefront chamber. In this chamber is also provided the smoke producer 2.

The balls which, in previous constructions, were arranged round thegrenade charge are omitted in this construction, as they are pressedflat by the explosion, so that the grenade charge is entirely outsidethe shrapncl charge. For increasing the grenade action the front wallsare made specially thick.

The detonator f is arranged so that on the one hand it can be fired bythe percussion fuse by the igniting pellet 9 and on the other hand itcan also be fired by the powder pellet h.

The time fuse may be of any well known type. In that shown the primer 1is exploded by being thrown against the anvil m by the set back uponfiring, where: upon the flame passes by way of the double time'ring nand the channels t' and k to the explosive b, and also from the channeliby way of the slow burning pellet h to the detonator f. The percussionfuse is also of the ordinary type, the. primer pellet 9 being thrownforward against the anvil o by its inertia upon the sudden stopping ofthe projectile, and the flame passing through the uncovered channel p tothe detonator f.

I s I l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l j l r l present improved conWhen using the projectile with time fuse fire, the charge in the basechamber is ignited by the time fuse through the channel i and tube It,and at the same time the powder pellet h is also ignited. Theexpcllingdisk c then throws forward the head of the shell with thegrenade charge, the percussion fuse and the burning pellet h, afterwhich follows the ball charge. The duration of the burning pellet h isso adjusted that the grenade charge will be detonated in the immediatevicinity of the mark. In the event, however, of the grenade partpreviously striking an obstacle, the per cussion fuse comes into action.

The advantages of this construction as compared with those heretoforeemployed, in which the grenade charge was exploded simultaneously withthe shrapnel charge or directly after the expulsion of the balls,will'be s n from Fig. 3, where S is the point of explosion of theshrapnel. The ball charge is thrown forward from this point with conicaldispersion, and in the known construction the grenade charge would bedetonated either at the same time or immediately afterwards, and theburst fragments would be dispersed still at a considerable distance fromthe mark fired at, as indicated by the lateral dotted lines. With thestruction however the head of the shell with the grenade charge willcontinue its flight for some distance in front of the balls and willonly be detonated at the point T directly over the object fired at. Itwill be evident from the above that the destructive action of theprojectile upon the object fired at will be considerably increased.

As compared with the projectiles in which the grenade part continues itsflight until it is detonated by the percussion fuse in coming in contactwith an object, the new construction affords the advantage that thedispersive action is increased by the fact that the point of explosionoccurs inthe air. In addition, misfircs which may occur throughunfavorable impact of the percussion fuse are entirely obviated. Afurther advantage is obtained in that when firing under conditions inwhich the projectile must be exploded at a short distance from the gun,a rearward action of the grenade fragments upon the gun cannot occur asthe grenade charge continues to fly forward some distance until, in thevicinity of the mark, it is exploded in the air, so as to produce itsfull effect. i

The described construction of the projectile allows of a particularlyfavorable utilization of the weight thereof, so that both the ballcharge and the grenade charge can be increased.

The invention can of course also be applied in a corresponding manner toprojectiles which have the grenade charge in the rear in place of infront. as described.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in whatv manner the same is to he performed, I declarethat what I claim is:

1. in an explosive prrriectilv. the romhinaiion, with a shrapnel charge,a grenade Charge. and a time fuse roar municating with both the shrapneland grenade charges.

of retarding means arranged between the time fuse and grenade charge.

2. In an explosive projectiie. the combination, with a shrapnel charge,a grenade charge. and a time fuse communieating with both the shrapneland grenade charges. of retarding means arranged between the time fuseand grenade charge, and a percussion fuse communicating with thegrenadecharge.

3. In an explosive projectile. the combination, with. a

' shrapnel charge. a grenade charge. and a time fuse (:(nn-

municating with both the shrapnel and grenade. Charges, of a slewburning composition arranged in the path from the fuse to the grenadecharge.

i in an explusive projeetile. the cmnhinaiion. with shrapnel ('harge. anexplns ix'e acting thereon. a grenade charge, and a (lerouaiur therefor,of a time fuse communicating hath with the explosive and with thedeiunaior, and

a slow burning; eompusilirm interposed between the fuse and the(letonator.

In an explosive projectile. the combination. with a shrapnel charge anexplosive acting thereon. a grenade charge and a detonamr thereful'. ofa time fuse communicating both with the explosive and the dei'onator,retarding means in the term of a, slow burningcompositiun ar- 30 Armani)lonnnnri-JR. M. Exams.

